Systems-based curriculum and Step 1

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imadome

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Couldn't find any threads on this - does preparation change for step 1 if your school has a system-based curriculum? Currently an M1 and I just started using FA as a reference/summary. I hear a lot of M2s talking about using Pathoma, Goljan etc in year 2. But since we are learning pharmacology, pathology, physiology, etc. right from M1 in each system, should I start using these resources now?

Our school's step 1 scores are not very high in comparison so I want to start early and do well. I also noticed that we often don't cover topics that are in step 1 review books so I want to make sure I'm filling the gaps as we go through each system rather than during the last few weeks before step 1 during M2.

Hope this isn't a redundant thread.

Dont know if your school is anything like my school but we revisit systems in second year and go much more in depth covering pathology and treatment. You may want to contact someone at your school and see if this is the case? Might just be focused too much on what you're doing right now.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but pathology is just the cause of diseases right? I don't understand how some schools have a pathology course second year that most students wait for to start using Pathoma/Goljan....

Maybe I'm missing something big here but everything we are learning at my school is placed in a clinical context, i.e. pathology?
Wow
You answered your question in your first post saying previous step 1 scores weren't great.
First year should be about fundamentals. Second year is about pathology and clinical medicine with pharm.
The reason pathology is second year is because first year enforces how the body should function normally with some minor emphasis on diseases that can happen. Then... You step into second year being more comfortable with the normal and basic diseases so that pathology is easier to understand and so is pharmacologic treatment and clinical medicine. You can't treat or diagnose diseases without knowing what normal is. Or, it's more difficult.

Like, it's way easier to see the pathologic changes on a slide when you see what's normal.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but pathology is just the cause of diseases right? I don't understand how some schools have a pathology course second year that most students wait for to start using Pathoma/Goljan....

Maybe I'm missing something big here but everything we are learning at my school is placed in a clinical context, i.e. pathology?
Something to keep in mind on SDN: different schools have different curricula. So when a poster says 'M1 is this, M2 is that' and so on, it may or may not be relevant to your school's curriculum. If your school is truly systems-based (and it sounds like it is), then you will get normal phys and pathology all in the same block. Thus, you would likely benefit from the patho gods Sattar and Goljan even if you're M1.
 
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Thanks for your input! I'm a little new to the lingo - pathoma is the "Fundamentals of Pathology" textbook and Goljan is the Rapid Review: Pathology textbook w/ online student consult?
Yes that is the title of the Pathoma text, but there is also a video component of Pathoma that you definitely don't want to skip. The Goljan text is Rapid Review Pathology, and I think he is the editor of all the RR series. Student Consult is an online companion to a bunch of Elsevier-published books--I don't know if anybody actually uses it though. There are also Goljan audio files that are not so legal, but should be easy to find in a google search.
 
I also noticed that we often don't cover topics that are in step 1 review books so I want to make sure I'm filling the gaps as we go through each system rather than during the last few weeks before step 1 during M2.

Every school has different way of teaching. At my school there were quite a few topics not covered in M1 and M2 year that were covered in Pathoma, Goljan, FA, etc. Your performance on Step 1 is going to depend on how hard you study for class, and also on how hard you study high-yield material NOT COVERED in class. It is all important information. When I took Step 1 there were a few questions asking about topics from my classes that I thought were "low-yield" that I wished I had focused on more.

Step 1 is a moving target, and even the most up-to-date sources do not cover it all. Study hard for class and continue filling in the gaps with Pathoma, Goljan, FA, etc. Your Step performance will be a direct result of your hard work.

EDIT: Lastly, I did not start hitting Step studying hard until the beginning of second year. I studied behavioral sciences all summer before second year and it was STILL my lowest section on the real deal :/
 
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